Gerbera plant named ‘Garhoney Imp’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Gerbera  plant named ‘Garhoney Imp’, characterized by its relatively compact, broadly upright and uniformly mounding plant habit; dense and bushy appearance; numerous inflorescences with golden yellow-colored ray florets; upright and strong scapes; and good garden performance.

Botanical designation: Gerbera hybrida.

Cultivar denomination: ‘GARHONEY IMP’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Gerbera plant, botanically known as Gerbera hybrida and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Garhoney Imp’.

The new Gerbera plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in De Kwakel, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to create new compact Gerbera plants with numerous inflorescences, good garden performance, frost tolerance and attractive inflorescence coloration.

The new Gerbera plant is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of Gerbera hybrida ‘Garhoney’, not patented. The new Gerbera plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within a population of plants of ‘Garhoney’ in a controlled greenhouse environment in De Kwakel, The Netherlands in November, 2012.

Asexual reproduction of the new Gerbera plant by cuttings and by tissue culture in a controlled environment in De Kwakel, The Netherlands since November, 2012 has shown that the unique features of this new Gerbera plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Gerbera have not been observed under all possible combinations of environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Garhoney Imp’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Garhoney Imp’ as a new and distinct Gerbera plant:

-   -   1. Relatively compact, broadly upright and uniformly mounding         plant habit.     -   2. Dense and bushy appearance.     -   3. Numerous inflorescences with golden yellow-colored ray         florets.     -   4. Upright and strong scapes.     -   5. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Gerbera differ from plants of the parent, ‘Garhoney’, in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Gerbera are more vigorous than plants of         ‘Garhoney’.     -   2. Plants of the new Gerbera have larger leaves than plants of         ‘Garhoney’.     -   3. Plants of the new Gerbera have larger inflorescences than         plants of ‘Garhoney’.

Plants of the new Gerbera can be compared to plants of the Gerbera hybrida ‘Garsunny’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 22,886. Plants of the new Gerbera differ from plants of ‘Garsunny’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Gerbera have larger inflorescences with         longer ray florets than plants of ‘Garsunny’.     -   2. Plants of the new Gerbera and ‘Garsunny’ differ in ray floret         shape and color.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Gerbera plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Gerbera plant.

The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Garhoney Imp’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations and measurements describe plants grown during the autumn and winter in 15-cm containers in a glass-covered greenhouse in De Kwakel, The Netherlands and under cultural practices typical of commercial Gerbera production. During the production of the plants, day and night temperatures ranged from 10° C. to 16° C. Rooted tissue-cultured plants were 25 and 26 weeks old when the description and photograph, respectively, were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2007 edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Gerbera hybrida ‘Garhoney Imp’. -   Parentage: Naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of Gerbera     hybrida ‘Garhoney’, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—By tissue culture.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer and winter.—About 2.5 to 3             weeks at temperatures about 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer and             winter.—About five to six weeks at temperatures about 20° C.             to 26° C.         -   Root description.—Fibrous. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Herbaceous perennials that are typically grown             as container or garden plants; relatively compact and             uniformly mounding plant habit, broadly upright and roughly             globular in shape; numerous leaves arranged in basal             rosettes and outwardly arching; dense and bushy habit;             inflorescences held above the foliar plane on erect and             strong basal scapes; moderately vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height, soil level to top of foliar plane.—About 16.1             cm.         -   Plant height, soil level to top of inflorescences.—About             29.9 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 32.9 cm -   Leaf description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Alternate, simple.         -   Length.—About 12.8 cm.         -   Width.—About 7.5 cm.         -   Shape.—Ovate to elliptic, occasionally obovate; runcinate.         -   Apex.—Obtuse to broadly acute.         -   Base.—Acuminate.         -   Margin.—Coarsely and irregularly angulate; sinuses             divergent; slightly undulate.         -   Texture, upper surface.—Sparsely pubescent.         -   Texture, lower surface.—Densely tomentose.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.         -   Color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: Darker than between             141A and 143A. Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to             137C. Fully expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to 137A to             137B; venation, close to 144A. Fully expanded leaves, lower             surface: Close to 147B; venation, close to 144A.         -   Petioles.—Length: About 6 cm. Diameter: About 3 mm. Texture,             upper surface: Moderately pubescent. Texture, lower surface:             Densely pubescent. Color, upper surface: Close to 144A to             144B; proximally, close to 145C. Color, lower surface: Close             to 144B; proximally, close to 145C. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Composite inflorescence form with             oblanceolate-shaped ray florets; solitary inflorescences             borne on upright and strong scapes above the foliar plane;             ray and disc florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Flowering season.—Plants begin flowering about three months             after planting; under garden conditions in The Netherlands,             plants flower from spring to late summer; plants can be             flowered year-round in the greenhouse.         -   Inflorescence longevity.—Depending on the temperature,             inflorescences last about two weeks on the plant;             inflorescences not persistent.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—Freely flowering habit with             about 15 open and developing inflorescences per plant at one             time.         -   Inflorescence buds.—Height: About 2.4 cm. Diameter: About             1.9 cm. Shape: Ovoid. Color: Close to 151D; towards the             apex, close to 151B to 151D tinged with close to 164A to             164B; towards the base, close to 137B and 143A.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 8.1 cm. Depth (height):             About 3.1 cm. Diameter of disc: About 2.6 cm. Receptacle             height: About 4 mm. Receptacle diameter: About 4 mm.             Receptacle color: Close to 157D.         -   Ray florets.—Quantity and arrangement: About 52 per             inflorescence arranged in about three whorls. Orientation:             About 40° from horizontal. Length: About 4.2 cm. Width:             About 8 mm. Shape: Oblanceolate. Apex: Obtuse to retuse.             Base: Cuneate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper surface:             Smooth, glabrous; velvety. Texture, lower surface: Smooth,             glabrous; slightly velvety. Color: When opening, upper             surface: Close to 21A. When opening, lower surface: Close to             151D; margins, close to 165B. Fully opened, upper surface:             Close to 23A; color becoming closer to 13A and 14B with             development. Fully opened, lower surface: Close to 21B and             26B; colors becoming closer to 20A and 26A with development.         -   Disc florets.—Quantity and arrangement: About 300 massed at             center of receptacle. Length: About 1.5 cm. Width: About             3 mm. Shape: Tubular. Apex: Acute. Base: Lower 80%, fused.             Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth,             glabrous. Color, prior to opening: Apex: Close to 22A to             22B. Mid-section: Close to 2D. Base: Close to 145D. Color,             when opening: Apex: Close to 24A. Mid-section: Close to 2D.             Base: Close to 145D. Color, fully opened: Apex: Close to             23A. Mid-section: Close to 2D. Base: Close to 145D.         -   Pappus.—Quantity of hairs per floret: About 50. Length:             About 7 mm. Diameter: Less than 1 mm. Texture: Soft. Color:             Close to 160D.         -   Phyllaries.—Quantity and arrangement: About 60 per             inflorescence arranged in about three whorls. Length: About             1.6 cm. Width (at base): About 2 mm. Shape: Lanceolate.             Apex: Narrowly acute. Base: Cuneate. Margin: Entire.             Texture, upper surface: Smooth, glabrous. Texture, lower             surface: Densely tomentose. Color, upper surface: Close to             N137A; towards the apex, close to 143A to 143B. Color, lower             surface: Close to 137A; towards the apex, close to 143A to             143B.         -   Scapes.—Length: About 24.3 cm. Diameter: About 5 mm;             distally, about 3.5 mm. Angle: About 20° from vertical.             Strength: Strong. Texture: Densely tomentose. Color: Close             to 144B; distally, close to 147B; proximally, slightly             tinged with close to N170A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium (present on disc florets             only): Quantity per floret: Five. Filament length: About             6 mm. Filament color: Close to 11D. Anther shape:             Lanceolate. Anther length: About 4 mm. Anther color: Close             to 13A to 13B. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen color: Close to             14A. Gynoecium (present only on ray florets): Quantity per             floret: One. Pistil length: About 9 mm. Stigma shape: Cleft.             Stigma color: Close to 12A. Style length: About 7 mm. Style             color: Close to 11B to 11C. Ovary color: Close to 145D.         -   Seeds and fruits.—Seed and fruit production has not been             observed on plants of the new Gerbera. -   Disease & pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common     to Gerbera plants has not been observed on plants of the new Gerbera     grown under commercial production conditions. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Gerbera have been observed to     have good garden performance, to tolerate high temperatures about     35° C. and to be cold hardy to USDA Hardiness Zone 7. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Gerbera plant named ‘Garhoney Imp’ as illustrated and described. 